The ways of worship.
5 things worth sharing this week
Hey Crash-ers,
We have been in Austin, Texas, this week with Worship and Creative teams, having coffee with Worship Pastors, and have been thinking about some practical help around Worship Teams and personal worship, so… here you go.
5 things worth sharing this week.
CASS’S ALL-TIME FAVOURITE WORSHIP MESSAGE
Darrell Johnson is the OG when it comes to worship.
You know those guys you want to be like when you grow up? - Darrell is that for me - he is wise, godly, seasoned, and thoughtful and has a way of making the word of God come alive. People of all ages love him, and he has teenagers eating out of the palm of his hand. This is worth your investment!
SONGS IN FOCUS - Luke and Anna Hellebronth
What songs should we add to the rotation?
Some of our dear friends, Luke and Anna, have been worship leaders for the past 15 years and are definitely seasoned. They have been at Gas Street Church, Birmingham, UK, for the last decade and have A LOT to contribute to the wider Church. They’ve led and grown worship teams in many contexts, cultures, and denominations and have a deep understanding of the nuances of worship, church, people, and leadership.
We asked them for a list of the songs they are leading at the moment. There are definitely some old and new gems in there that you may not have heard of or could revisit with a different arrangement.
This is Jesus - Gas Street Music / Jeremy Riddle
Foundations - Gas Street Music
Thanksgiving - Gas Street Music
Keep on Proving It - Gas Street Music
Worthy of it All - David Brymer
WORSHIP LEADER HANDBOOK
Here’s a link to our friend Nathan’s book for worship leaders. Here’s what he writes about it…
I wrote this book as a collection, not as a chronological study - meaning that you can read it straight through or you can jump around. I’ve done my best, with a little help from my friends, to put this into a format that makes the most sense - five chapters based on some of the most commonly asked questions I get when meeting with worship leaders and pastors.
NEW SONG - BRANDON LAKE
Praise You Anywhere.
This is a GREAT new praise song. Would be such a good addition to song lists and playlists. We have been waiting for this one to come out for a while now, and it doesn’t disappoint!
KIRBY KAPLE SHARES SOME WISDOM
This song is important to me because it centers on Jesus and feels like a redeclaration of faith in the One who needs no adding to.
It’s always been Jesus and will always be Jesus.
Two things I wish I knew starting out...
Ehhhh. I could talk about this all day. Here are my top two.
1) I became a better worship leader when I learned to be myself. I spent a lot of years trying to lead like other people… but my anointing is in my unique identity, my Godprint. To be myself is to be the fullest gift God created me to be. Anything less robs the world of God revealed in me. If you don’t know who you are, you’ll be whoever people pay you to be.
2) Worship leaders lead songs, worship pastors lead people. I spent years taking myself too seriously in all the wrong ways. It’s simple. All I’m doing when I lead a congregation is helping people remember Jesus. When I relax in his presence and lead the people like a casual conversation, I find it creates the most space for God to do the work. I never want to arm wrestle people into response, but I do want to pastorally shepherd and compel them to come awake to God ever working and moving in our midst. Care less, love more.
A link you’ll love…
Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life. I found the section on hospitality remarkably helpful in leadership.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
What advice do you have for people starting out?
It can be overwhelming to be handed a Worship & Creative Team to lead or Pastor for the first time or be tasked with the mandate to grow one from scratch. I know because I’ve been in that position. Recently Rich and I have been traveling in the United States, and we keep finding ourselves engaged in conversations that focus on this question;
Grace and Peace,
Rich & Cass
That message from Darrell Johnson gets me no matter how many times I listen...
Only Jesus...what a song 🤍